At one point in his MTP interview, Flake was asked by host Chuck Todd if he had thought about leaving the Republican Party, specifically because his book seems to be just as much of an indictment of Republican leadership as it is of Trump.

“No. No. Not at all,” Flake noted. “I’m a proud Republican — life-long Republican. And I’m from Arizona. Arizona tends to elect independent-minded people and people who stand on principle.”

Todd would then confront Flake on his conservative voting record, pressing him if he’d move away from voting on his ideological principles to stop Trump. After the GOP lawmaker defended voting for Trump’s agenda and Cabinet picks, Todd stated that this sounded like someone who is still trying to “tiptoe” around the issue.